Landscape Research Picture Show

A satellite view: Rather a low spatial resolution, but homogeneous results over large areas and short intervals between takes. (a WSL postcard; image: USGS / Bundesamt für Landestopographie NPOC)

An infrared aerial photograph: High spatial resolution, but not homogeneous over a large area and long intervals between takes.

A real color aerial photograph: A bird's eye view of the landscape.

Room for natural processes: A large riverbed with its banks provides different habitats for plants and animals. (photo: P. Longatti, WSL)

A smalll permanent plot in the Swiss National Park : Long-term changes in the vegetation are observed with regular relevées over many decades. (photo: P. Longatti, WSL)

After a disturbance incident: The vegetation has been completely cleared away by a debris flow. (photo: P. Longatti, WSL)

A housing project for rare species: Dead beech trees are nowadays hard to find for those who depend on them for breeding. (photo: P. Longatti, WSL)

And this is the beneficiary: Rosalia alpina — a flagship species, that is particulary choosy about its breeding habitat. (photo: P. Duelli (?), WSL)

Emptying insect traps: Have the new habitats after reopening the small brook already attracted new species? (photo: P. Longatti, WSL)

Demonstrating the effect of browsing deer: animal plant interaction and the effect of browsing herbivores on the landscape. (photo: P. Longatti, WSL)

Information on individuals thanks to genetical methods: Keeping track of the development of the endangered capercaillie populations. (photo: K. Bollmann, WSL)

The microscopic underground world of mycorrhiza: The symbiosis of trees and mushrooms is another important aspect of ecology. (a WSL greeting card; photo: S. Egli, WSL)

Information on the climate of the past from treerings: Old trees are archives of climate data that allow to extend time series far into the neolithic past. (photo: F. Schweingruber, WSL)

Old postcards also contain valuable information on the past of a landscape and can be used to study the change mechanisms. (photo: Photoglob AG, Zürich)

School children at a workshop on the future of their local community: People's needs and attitudes towards their environment are another driving force of landscape change. (photo: M. Buchecker, WSL)